by Dr. Ridgely Abdul Mu’min Muhammad

Immediately following the membership meeting, President Grant called the BFAA Board to order and
they unanimously agreed to seek Stephon Bowens and the Land Loss Prevention Project (LLPP) to become
the legal counsel for BFAA. Attorney Bowens accepted this request. 

After the elections President Gary Grant sent a letter to the USDA informing them that more
progress should have already been made with the proposed "Memorandum of Understanding"
initiated in July of 2002. Mr. Grant continued by saying, "Significant issues such as
administrative setoffs, acceleration, and foreclosures still plague the few remaining Black farmers.
Given the great need of the Black farmers and your administration’s continued commitment to
improved service delivery, much can be accomplished despite the lapse of time since our last
meeting."

Before this national meeting of BFAA the USDA had feigned confusion over who was in control of
BFAA. This allowed them to postpone promised relief measures for the Black farmers in the Pigford v.
Glickman (now Veneman) class action lawsuit and other areas. BFAA has been in a pitted struggle with
the USDA since 1998. However, members of BFAA have not let the USDA completely consume them in a one
pronged attack.

BFAA in conjunction with the Land Loss Fund, Concerned Citizens of Tillery, Muhammad Farms and
North Carolina A&T State University’s School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences
combined efforts to put on what Mr. John Raye, Regional Director for MATAH, as a "most eye
opening display of information and problem solving." Unlike many conferences which get
"experts" to talk at the problem. This conference put "experts" in contact with
the people who had the problems and together they began to work up solutions and develop ongoing
relationships to continue the process of "controlling our destiny from the land to the
man", the theme of this year’s conference.

For instance, Attorney Rose Sanders brought information on land availability for Black farmers in
South Africa. Min. Akbar Muhammad, International Representative of the Nation of Islam, demonstrated
how oil played a key role in the destabilization of western and southern Africa. He also went into
the details of the situation in Zimbabwe. At the end of the question and answer period, Min. Akbar
caucused with Black farmer interested in going with him to Zimbabwe in the near future on a fact
finding tour.

The workshop entitled "Direct Marketing Opportunities for Country and City Cousins"
brought together and illustrious panel including, Vernon Switzer, vegetable farmer, Al Wellington,
Co-Founder of MATAH, John Raye, master salesman and motivational speaker, Marcus Bernard, Marketing
Agent for Glory Foods, and Bill Jackson, entrepreneur out of Chicago. They and the audience talked
about the question of how to get produce from Black farmers into the hands of Black consumers. This
feedback process introduced both sides of the problem, supply and demand, to each other within a
framework of problem solving. At the end a plan of action of establishing produce markets in the
major cities along with developing processed items for direct marketing channels was developed and
an ongoing committee established. Dr. Ridgely Muhammad read a letter from a Black Wall Street
investment firm pledging their financial support to projects developed by this group.

In the area of Black land loss Attorneys Stephon Bowens and Gil Livingston along with Gary Grant
introduced a new non-profit corporation called the Black Family Land Trust. The Black Family Land
Trust, Inc. will bring real dollars to the aid of Black families in jeopardy of losing their land.
New an innovative methods of "conservation easements" will be used to get funds in the
hands of landowners while still leaving them title and control over the land as long as it is used
for agricultural related purposes.

Many people had heard about Cuba’s offer to open her markets to Black farmers. However, this
conference brought together Mr. Daniel Brow, President of Progressive International Trading Company,
Marcus Bernard, Marketing Agent for Glory Foods, Dr. John O’Sullivan, Extension Marketing
Specialist, NCA&T and Savanah Williams, farmer from Virginia who analyzed this opportunity and
developed strategies to make it happen. The audience got a rare glimpse of what it takes to make
hopes into realities instead of complaints about fallen dreams.

Many farmers have found that operating large farms may not be as profitable as operating on
smaller farms, but with an eye to location and esthetic demands of the consumers. Agri-tourism,
heritage and eco-tourism were discussed as new and emerging alternatives to industrialized
agriculture. James Frazier of Barefoot Farms on St. Helena Island, SC presented aspects of his
tourist and educational oriented farm which he established right in the middle of a major tourist
corridor. The keys to the success of this type of operation can be capsulated with three words:
"location, location, location".

Stephon Bowens was the surprised recipient of the annual "The Man Called Mathew Award"
given to the one person that best exemplified the spirit of Mr. Mathew Grant, an agricultural and
community warrior from the New Deal Resettlement Community of Tillery, Halifax County, NC. Dr.
Ridgely A. Mu’min Muhammad received a special award for "Keeping Us Organized In True
American Radicalism And The Revival Of The Spirit" from the Land Loss Fund. I guess this award
is given to the most "radical" one (smile).

The weekend was capped off by an outpouring of unity and spiritual rejuvenation by a Christian
Minister, Dr. Marcus Tillery, and a Muslim Minister, Min. Willie Muhammad. The Black farm movement
for justice has been fought through trials, tribulations and betrayals. However, Min. Tillery warned
"Pharaoh", President Bush, that the army of Gideon was on its way back to the "Big
House" with a message of liberation. "We have wrestled with the angel as did Paul. And as
Paul would not be satisfied with just getting to Damascus but had to go all the way to Rome, the 30
pieces of silver had delayed us but will not prevent us from arriving in the modern Rome,
Washington, DC."

Min. Willie, who spoke on behalf of the Honorable Min. Louis Farrakhan, described those in the
movement as one of three types, "believers, disbelievers and hypocrites." He warned that
these three would always be among us, but not to fear the backbiting of the hypocrite, because after
the pain one will find true brotherhood among the true believers. He ended by saying, "This is
a new beginning. We must cast off the shoes of derisiveness, confusion and backbiting, for now we
stand on Holy Ground."